Default Insurance Fund (DIF)
Workers’ compensation covers every worker in the ACT. Every employer must have an insurance policy that covers their employees in the instance of a workplace injury or death. In the instance that your employer does not have a mandatory workers’ compensation policy, you have access to the Default Insurance Fund as an ACT worker.
The Default Insurance Fund, or the DIF, is a safety net mechanism established by the ACT Government to provide compensation for privately employed workers who:
suffer personal injury arising out of, or in the course of, their employment,
suffer personal injury on an employment-related journey,
suffer personal injury on a journey between the worker’s home and workplace;
contract a disease for which their employment was a significant contributing factor; or
suffer an aggravation, acceleration or recurrence of a disease for which their employment was a significant contributing factor; and
have NO OTHER access to workers' compensation benefits.
If you have sustained a workplace injury and need to access the DIF, contact the Injured Workers Service via injuredworkerscbr@unionsact.org.au or on (02) 8294 5181.